Sharks - Matt Rogers (classic books for 11 year olds txt) 📗

‘Were they addicts themselves?’

‘Yes. They sold to fund their own addiction. That doesn’t make it right, though.’

‘Of course not,’ Slater said. ‘But addiction is a complex thing.’

Lyla said, ‘It is, but not when a child’s involved. I think that’s when it becomes simple. If it’s just you to worry about, then by all means do whatever you please. But Caleb needed them, and they weren’t there for him — that was their choice, no matter whether you want to blame their scrambled wires or not. Then they didn’t have a choice because they were behind bars. You see? If you’re responsible for someone’s wellbeing you do everything in your power to make sure they’re safe and secure. You don’t—’

She stopped herself mid-sentence. Throughout the spiel her voice stayed level, not even a hint of anger showing on her gentle face, but under the surface something was brewing, and they could all sense it. Lyla Barrow was a woman who only got mad once in a blue moon. She didn’t want to let it out here. She almost had, and now she bowed her head, ashamed.

Beside her, Teddy squirmed.

It was all out there in the open now. The blame, the resentment, the distrust.

You make sure they’re safe, she was saying. You don’t throw all your money away at the casino.

Slater said, ‘Mrs. Barrow, could I have a word with you in private?’

She looked up. ‘Will, I already told you I don’t want your help.’

He was going to say, Yes you do, but he didn’t.

He just sat there and let the quiet speak for itself.

Teddy shifted restlessly in place, uncomfortable and guilty and remorseful.

King was statuesque.

So was Slater.

Eventually Lyla looked around, took in the situation, and said, ‘Alright. Shall we go to the study?’

Slater nodded.

They got up and moved out of the room. Teddy massaged the tips of his knuckles to give himself something to do and stared at the floor.

When Slater and Lyla were at the opposite end of the house, out of earshot, King said, ‘Teddy.’

The old man lifted his gaze.

King said, ‘Are you ashamed?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you see why that doesn’t cut it?’

He didn’t answer.

King said, ‘I’m sure you were ashamed the first time. And the second. And the third. But you kept borrowing money. How does a man who feels guilt over what he’s doing continue to do the same thing over and over again?’

Teddy sighed. ‘I don’t know.’

He really didn’t.

King could see it in Teddy’s eyes.

King thought, Does he even deserve our help?

38

Lyla ushered Slater into a room with thick carpet and a fireplace that looked like it hadn’t been used in years.

Slater sat down in an armchair and said, ‘Does it ever get cold here?’

Lyla said, ‘Not really. It’s usually warm year round. I put this room together fantasising about occasional chilly nights, with a hot mug of tea and the warmth of the fire. But those chilly nights never came.’

‘It’s still a beautiful room.’

She smiled. ‘Thank you. That means more than you know.’

Slater understood. Her home was her pride and joy.

She said, ‘Can I get you a coffee?’

He was about to say no, but reconsidered. ‘Actually, that’d be great.’

It had been a long day.

She came back a couple of minutes later with a perfect espresso, topped with a raft of crema. He gulped the whole thing down for the energy boost as she sat across from him.

She said, ‘I want you to know I never share details of my personal life with strangers. If Teddy hadn’t already opened up…’

‘Desperate times, desperate measures.’

She nodded. ‘Very desperate times. But I’ve found you see the best of people in desperate times.’

‘And the worst.’

She nodded. ‘True. But for every bad egg, you see some good. The assistance and disaster relief for this community … you should have seen it, Will. Food kitchens, health care, construction volunteers, all provided unsolicited and free of charge, and it didn’t matter whether it was the Bahamian government or the US government or NGOs who were providing it … all that mattered was that good people wanted to help. You need to hold onto inspiring examples like that when things get bad.’

He said, ‘This is the part where we keep making small talk. But I’d rather get to it, if you don’t mind, Lyla. I’d like to ask you some questions about your situation.’

She hesitated, then half-smiled. ‘You’re a good egg, Will. I like you. Go for it.’

‘If we make this problem go away, will your husband find himself right back in this situation?’

She didn’t answer, cocking her head inquisitively.

‘Teddy borrowed money from predatory lenders,’ Slater said. ‘Even so, I agree with what you said out there. Blaming anyone else for your own problems leads nowhere. But my friend and I are going to do something about these lenders, whether you want us to or not, and not because of you and Teddy. We’re doing it simply because we hate people who prey on the weak and the downtrodden.’

‘I may be downtrodden,’ Lyla said, ‘but I’m not weak.’

‘I never said you were,’ Slater said. ‘You’re not the one who borrowed the money.’

‘My husband isn’t weak, either.’

‘So you’re confident this was an anomaly? You’re confident things will go back to normal if the debt is erased?’

‘He’s never done anything like this before. Through the thirty years we’ve been together he’s been an upstanding, principled good man. I don’t know what happened…’

‘And you don’t know if you can trust him again,’ Slater said. ‘He eradicated your life savings. Safety and security are basic needs that you thought you had covered and he stripped them away from the both of you. He hurt you as much as he hurt himself. So you don’t know if you can trust him, and you don’t know if you can trust yourself. Because you love him deeply and you can’t see how you could love a man who ruined both your lives in the span of a few months.’

Lyla didn’t respond for a long time. Anyone else might have followed